Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett lives in Somerset, England, where
he spends all his time, and more, writing his rigorously
naturalistic, curiously entertaining, shamelessly popular
Discworld novels which have earned him extravagant acclaim
and puzzled stares from millions of readers around the
world.

Discworld -- a flat, circular world carried through space on the
back of four elephants who stand on the back of the Great A'tuin,
a ten thousand mile long turtle hurtling through space. What can
one expect from a world such as this? Previous Discworld
books have taken us to the pyramids, explored the huge, festering
metropolis of Ankh-Morpork, introduced us to the City Watch, a
coven of witches, an inept wizard and his sentient luggage, and
given us a look at Death and the creation of a god. So what could
be next? Maskerade takes us to the opera. Specifically
to the Opera House in Ankh-Morpork. As with many of his books,
Terry Pratchett gives us a look at the opera through cynical eyes,
laced with his uniquely outrageous humor.

Maskerade opens with Agnes Nitt, a.k.a., Perdita X, auditioning
at the Opera House. Blessed with a singularly magnificent voice,
Agnes is unfortunately not blessed with an extraordinary body.
Or rather, her body is extraordinary -- extraordinarily large, that is. Still,
there's no denying her talent and she's hired as a member of the
opera company.

Meanwhile, Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax, two-thirds of a witches
coven, are looking for a replacement for Magrat, who had the nerve
to go off and marry a king. Covens consist of a maiden, a mother
and a crone, and Nanny and Granny fit two of these three categories.
Thinking that Agnes might be a perfect candidate for the third
(now that Magrat no longer qualifies), Nanny pays a visit to Agnes,
only to find that she has wandered off to the big city to seek
her fortune. Fortunately, other business calls Nanny and Granny
to Ankh-Morpork -- business dealing with the surprising success
of Nanny's book, The Joye of Snacks. If you've read any
of the other books which featured the witches of Lancre, you can
guess that this particular book deals with more than just recipes
(and I'm not talking about spells!).

Agnes is hired on with the opera as the voice of Christina, a lovely girl
with marvelous stage presence...but no talent. So Christina
provides the body and Agnes supplies the voice. Unfortunately,
not everything is going smoothly. Nanny and Granny arrive in Ankh-Morpork
to find that the Opera House is haunted by a ghost; a ghost that
is killing people and ruining the show. They set out to rid the
Opera House of the ghost and set things right. And, of course,
they try to persuade Agnes to leave and come back to Lancre.

If, as you read along, the plot reminds you of "Phantom of
the Opera", well, sit back and enjoy Pratchett's version.
You'll meet Mr. Bucket, the new, unwitting owner of the Opera
House, who wasn't told that his new purchase included a maniacal
ghost, flooded cellars and a ledger that is more often red than
black. As Mr. Salzella, the music director tells him:

"A catastrophe curve, Mr. Bucket, is what opera runs along.
Opera happens because a large number of things amazingly fail
to go wrong, Mr. Bucket. It works because of hatred and love and
nerves. All the time. This isn't cheese. This is opera. If you
wanted a quiet retirement, Mr. Bucket, you shouldn't have bought
the Opera House. You should have done something peaceful, like
alligator dentistry."

You'll also meet Walter Plinge, the half-wit handyman and Enrico
Basilica, who isn't quite what he seems. In fact, quite a few
people have secrets. But you'll have to read the book to find
out what they are.

As with many of Pratchett's books, Maskerade can be read all by
itself. But you'll definitely enjoy it more if you know something
about Pratchett's Discworld and have followed the
previous exploits of the witches of Lancre. If you're a Discworld
fan, run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore and pick up Maskerade.
You won't regret it.

Todd is a plant molecular developmental biologist who has finally finished
23 years of formal education. He recently fled Madison, WI for the warmer
but damper San Francisco Bay Area and likes bad movies, good science
fiction, and role-playing games. He began reading science fiction at the
age of eight, starting with Heinlein, Silverberg, and Tom Swift books, and
has a great fondness for tongue-in-cheek fantasy Óla Terry Pratchett, Craig
Shaw Gardner and Robert Asprin.